Saturday, July 9, 2011

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

This little mini album is one that I've worked on for quite some time, as I would get the pictures that I used. All of the photos were taken from our kitchen windows from January thru June, 2011. Since I retired two years ago, I have had more time to develop a small area where we can feed and enjoy watching the birds who visit our yard. What a treat it is to see our little feathered friends enjoy the bird seed that we provide for them! Most of our little avian friends are shy and I have to be very patient in order to get just one picture! There have been some days when I have placed a blanket on the floor and I sat there waiting to get a good photo! This little album probably should be titled, "Two Loves" because it combines my love of birds and my love of scrapbooking!

One of our biggest surprises was the beautiful female Red Bellied Woodpecker who frequented our suet feeder during the winter! Our second surprise was discovering that we had two species of woodpeckers! On the page below, can be seen the a female Hairy Woodpecker.

I have spent hours and hours researching the birds that have delighted us this year. My wonderful husband gave me a book called, Birds of Texas by Keith A. Arnold and Gregory Kennedy. I have also used a website called "All About Birds" and is created by the staff of The Cornell Lab of Orinthology, Cornell University. Both of these sources have helped me tremendously in my bird studies. Here's the website for "All About Birds":

It took five months for me to get a picture of a Carolina Chickadee! They are delightful little birds who flit from place to place with such dexterity that their flight is similar to dive bombers! You have to be REALLY FAST and have a fast camera to get a good picture of one of these sweet little creatures!

We had a very large flock of doves this year, and have actually counted up to ten at a time feeding outside our kitchen window! These two doves are always together. The one on the left is a White Winged Dove and the one on the right is a Mourning Dove. The White Winged Doves have been rapidly expanding their territory into the northern areas of Texas.

This is one of our many Blue Jays that come to our feeding area daily.

This is one of the male Cardinals that came to our yard over the winter. There were a total of three males and three females! Only one of the couples is still using our feeding area. He is very watchful over his mate. Whenever there is a person in the back yard you can hear him giving a little warning sound and they both fly away. In the spring we could sit very quietly on our patio and they would sometimes get accustomed to our presence, allowing us to watch them fly from one tree to another.

The journaling reads, "All birdies are welcome at our "nest!"

These little Juncos were "frequent fliers" in our yard throughout the winter, but when summer came, they didn't return.

What is this squirrel doing stealing birdseed?!!!! Doesn't he know it's "for the birds"? He and two other squirrels have kept us entertained since we started feeding the birds.

Most of the scrapbooking supplies used in this mini album can be purchased at The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie, Texas.

10 comments:

Such a gorgeous mini-album, Patty! I love that you took the photos from your kitchen window! Awesome that you researched them, too! And my, oh my, those squirrels just want to get in on the fun, too, huh?! TFS this - woohoo!

What a fun mini, Patty! I like that you documented the visits with dates and researched the bird's names. Your patience paid off with photos of all your 'guests'. Cute details, and your 'nest' is beautiful. xo

Oh Patty!! This mini album turned out so beautiful. I know you have been working on it for some time and it shows!!! Your research of the birds are spectacular and I too LOVE birds!!! I have always said once I die and I could come back...it would be a bird. That way I could fly above the land and see so far away or just sit on a limb and sway in the breeze!! AAHHH!!! Hugs - Ginger

Proud Member of the Color Stories Inspiration Design Team

Color Stories Inspiration

Patty

2011 - 2014

Welcome to my blog! My name is Patty Rogers and I have been scrapbooking for approximately 20 years, officially. I still have the first album that I made while in elementary school, when scrapbooking supplies were few and far between! I always enjoy trying new techniques and products, and consider myself lucky to live during a time when resources for scrapbookers are plentiful and ever-changing. I am inspired by the work of other scrapbookers, and am amazed at the giant steps that have been made in the last few years in the scrapbooking industry. I rely heavily upon the artistic training I received at Texas Christian University, where I majored in elementary education and minored in art. The challenge of creating scrapbook pages that hopefully will be cherished by generations to come drives me to tell the stories of my family and friends in an interesting and creative way through scrapbooking.
Proud Design Team Member at The Crafty Scrapper
Waxahachie, Texas from 2011 thru 2014. I currently am thrilled to serve on the CSI (Color, Stories, Inspiration) Design Team.